A baseball game at PNC Park took a tragic turn on May 1, 2025, when 20-year-old fan Kavan Markwood fell 21 feet from the stands onto the right-field warning track during a Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs matchup. The fall occurred in the bottom of the seventh inning after Markwood—celebrating a go-ahead double by Andrew McCutchen—lost his balance and tumbled over a 3-foot railing in Section 142,
Play was immediately halted as medical personnel, police, and team trainers rushed to the scene. Markwood, a former college football player from McKeesport and South Allegheny High School graduate, was stabilized and transported to Allegheny General Hospital. He remains in critical condition,
Markwood’s background as a dedicated student-athlete drew a wave of support from former coaches and school officials. Described as a young man of character and resilience, his community is now rallying around him. Pirates chairman Bob Nutting expressed heartbreak over the incident, calling it “one of the most difficult moments many of us have ever experienced,”
and praised first responders for their swift action.The fall is being treated as accidental. The Pirates noted that the railing from which Markwood fell exceeds current building code standards.
